“Oh, God, no! Don't tell my mother.” Sheila whispered as much to the paramedic who had left Nellie Pearl's side and begun examining her as to Tony. She tried to smile. “Maybe we could both stay with Wade.”
Tony thought that the expression on his deputy's face was not encouraging. Wade didn't appear to have any sense of humor left. In fact, he looked as if he would strangle both of them if he wasn't so busy. He kept checking the paramedics who were hard at work on Nellie Pearl and Sheila, but he concentrated his attention on Sammy. Every time Sammy lifted his sorry head, Wade shoved his face back down.
Kneeling in the mud, Tony's search paid off. He pulled a Smith and Wesson .38 Special from the hole. The next treasure he examined looked like a kid's lunch box. The old-fashioned kind. It was a red plastic rectangle with a simple latch. The picture was too faded to identify. The last thing he pulled out was the remainder of a thick brown envelope. Waterlogged, the flap dangled uselessly. He stacked all of the items together.
“Wade, take that piece of garbage down and put him in the Blazer. When you come back, bring me a cardboard box. I want to get this stuff out of the rain.” Tony pulled a soggy roll of antacids from his pocket and chewed on the driest ones. As soon as Wade was on his way, leading their prisoner down the hill, Tony kept Sammy's back squarely in the rifle sights. He watched until Wade locked Sammy in the Blazer without incident, before turning back to Sheila. “How are you feeling now?”
“I'm fine, Sheriff. I feel like a mule kicked me in the chest but I can still do my job.” She started smoothing her hair into a braid and stopped when she noticed that her hands were filled with mud and twigs. At least she had stopped shaking. “Before I go back to work, I would like a shower, though, a very long, very hot shower.”
“Not so fast.” He frowned. “After you see the doctor, you can have your shower. After your shower I need a fully detailed, written report on everything that happened up here. After that, you clean every speck of mud out of your handgun.” Taking her elbow, he led her down to the cars, almost carrying her. He doubted that she realized the extent of her injuries. “Have Rex get you a new radio.”
Sheila glanced back at the broken pieces of her radio, scattered on the ground. When she looked up at Tony again, she seemed resigned.
“But before you come in to work, you bring me a note from Doc Nash saying that you are fit, mentally and physically, or I'll put you behind a desk until you retire.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
* * *
Even with the women packed together like sardines, Theo's shop couldn't hold everyone.
The deluge prevented some of the women from going home. Others arrived, drawn to the shop any time the weather turned bad. Women fought for workspace around the charity quilt. The ones who weren't quilting sat around socializing. A few were even buying fabric.
Jane told Theo that she'd lost count of the number of times she started another pot of coffee.
The crowd became so overwhelming that Theo abandoned her design project to help behind the counter. A mountain of bolts needed to be returned to the shelves. Theo grabbed three off the top. As she prepared to put them away, Prudence Sligar arrived. Theo couldn't believe her eyes. The stately hair stylist who dabbled in fortune telling was not a quilter. Normally a confident woman, the champion arm wrestler, owner of a small business and soon-to-be the bride of Deputy Darren Holt, she looked exceptionally ill at ease.
“Are you taking up quilting, Prudence?” Theo stopped directly in front of her.
Prudence's gaze bounced away from Theo and traveled over the multitude of fabrics and colors in the room. Almost involuntarily, one hand reached to caress the fabrics. “I would like to. I went over to the quilt show in Pigeon Forge and thought they were all so lovely.” Her hand released the fabric and moved to her belly. The bulge of her latest pregnancy was noticeable. “Maybe I could make a quilt for the baby, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you.” Placing her hands on the cutting table, she leaned closer to Theo, giving them a semblance of privacy.
“What's wrong, Prudence? Did you ‘see’ something?” Theo knew that sometimes the fortuneteller hit the mark. Prudence's grandmother had been a “wise woman,” and she hoped to carry on the tradition.
“No. Darren called to tell me that Sheila got shot today. Luckily, she had on her vest. I guess it saved her life.” She didn't seem to notice Theo's expression. “I was wondering how you deal with that fear, because I'm here to tell you that it about made me pass out cold when he told me about it.”
The bubble of air that Theo sucked into her lungs threatened to choke her. She could feel the blood leaving her head. “Sheila was shot? When?”
Prudence's shoulders lifted and lowered. “It must have been early, ’cause when Darren called to tell me that he couldn't meet me for lunch, it was already all over with. He spent the morning tied up with the flooding down at the crossroads and didn't have too many details. Didn't your husband tell you about it?”
“Not yet.” Clearly, Sheila was fine so Theo forced herself to breathe. “I'm sure that I'll get the details from him tonight.”
Prudence twisted her engagement ring around and around on her finger. “Maybe it would be better if we didn't get married. Is the fear just too much?” Tears filled Prudence's too-green-to-be-natural eyes.
“Sometimes, but not usually.” Theo placed the bolt of fabric back on the counter. “The memory of the day Tony got shot comes back to me sometimes and almost takes me down. You have to remember, though, that I would worry about him no matter what his job was. I'm a worrier and I'm really good at it. Carpenters get hurt too, you know.” Talking about this to Prudence seemed to be clarifying it in her own mind. “The other half of the truth is that Tony is a lawman. It truly is such a part of his nature that he would be a different man without it.” She patted the taller woman's shoulder. “If you don't marry Darren, will you stop worrying about him?”
“No.” Prudence answered immediately.
“Then, there's your answer.” A burst of laughter from the back room drew her attention. A couple of the women teased Jane about her new hair color and social life. “I think that new hair color you gave Jane is quite becoming.”
Prudence smiled. “Is she seeing very much of Red?”
“I think that they are just friends, nothing serious.” Theo didn't like the expression on Prudence's face. Jane was not only her mother-in-law, but Theo loved her like the mother she had never known. “Why? Is there a problem with that?”
Prudence lowered her voice so that only Theo could hear. “You know that I am not fond of gossip, but I think that you should know that he drinks, maybe a lot.” She examined the papers that Theo had been holding. “Mystery Quilt, Clue Three. What's that mean?”
After a quick glance in Jane's direction,Theo asked. “Why do you think he drinks? Is he intoxicated when he gets his hair cut?”
“No, although sometimes I'm not too sure. We were in Knoxville a few weeks back and stopped at the liquor store out near the mall.” Her voice lowered more. “It looked like he loaded at least a case of vodka into his car. He might have bought more than that. I don't think that he saw us.”
“Well, you were there and we stop there just about every time we go to Knoxville. Their selection of wine is good and the prices are fair.” Theo shrugged. “As long as the sale of alcohol in this county is limited to beer and wine, I think you'll continue to see everyone you know up there. As far as Red is concerned, Jane says that he is nice but that he has his own set of problems. Maybe she already knows about the drinking, but thank you for the warning.” Just then, seeing her mother-in-law's approach, she changed the subject.
“You asked how to make a mystery quilt. It's quite simple as long as you follow the instructions in order.” Theo handed Prudence a copy of clue one. “See, it tells you how much of what colors you need. The subsequent clues give you cutting and sewing information.”
“But what will it look like when it's all sewn toge
ther? There's no picture.” She turned the paper over to look at the back. Nothing.
Theo grinned. “That's the mystery.”
“Oh, I see. That sounds like fun. Do you have to be real experienced? I haven't done any sewing for years.” One hand reached out to touch the fabric behind her, petting it like a dog.
“No.” Jane shimmied in between the women. “I would suggest that you get a rotary cutter, ruler and protective mat. It will make cutting your strips and squares more accurate and a lot faster than using scissors.” She pushed Theo out of the way. “Just remember that the blade is incredibly sharp. You can't let your children play with it.”
“Will you help me?” Prudence's concerns had been replaced by curiosity and she clutched a bolt of beautiful fabric printed with honeysuckle flowers. Her beautiful, bottle-green eyes glowed with lust.
“I'd be happy to teach you how to use them and give you a couple of safety tips,” said Jane. “I know the perfect pink for you to use with that fabric.
Theo had to laugh. Jane knew a convert when she saw one and she was a great saleswoman. It wouldn't be long before Prudence would be hooked for life. Not for the first time, Theo wondered if there was some addictive component in fabric sizing.
Tony got home at ten that night but it felt even later than that. Before going inside, his used his flashlight and made a quick check of conditions around the house. The creek along the side of the house was running higher and faster, but here, at least, it stayed well inside its banks.
Thankfully, the rain stopped by mid-afternoon, or the flooding would have been much worse. As the day played out, his department had been so incredibly busy that Tony had never had time to put on a clean uniform. He spent most of his time helping people out of the mud and stacking sandbags. Half of the water he'd been working in came from melting snow. The other half was just damned cold. Exhausted now, he felt frozen and miserable and hungry enough to eat the front door.
The latest hospital report listed Nellie Pearl as critical, still unconscious. She'd been airlifted to Knoxville, and the doctors there had no idea when, or even if, she would awaken. According to them, she had lost a lot of blood. Other injuries included a fractured cheekbone and severe concussion.
Tony speculated that Nellie Pearl had been watching from her window and had followed Samson up the hill. That spirited old lady must have thrown common sense aside and confronted the devil himself.
Even if Samson turned out to be innocent of some of the things he was suspected of doing, which was doubtful, he had attempted to kill a cop. His confession in front of three witnesses would nail his sorry butt.
With the blessing of his Knoxville attorney, Kate Wyatt, they arranged to jail Samson in Sevier County. Tony didn't want the creep getting so much as a hangnail in the Park County facility. Miss Wyatt might be young, but she was smart as a whip, and she would be the first one to cry foul if Sammy was treated with anything but kid gloves.
Tony eased the front door open, listening. The old house welcomed him. The moment he stepped inside, Daisy ran to greet him. As he rubbed her ears and chest, her long plumed tail swished hard enough to wag the whole dog. The boys would be in bed already. Tony hated missing their evening routine of bath and stories, but sometimes it just couldn't be helped. He locked his gun in the safe. Following the faint sound of the television, he found Theo in the kitchen, sitting in her favorite chair, a quilt in progress draped over her lap. A fire crackled in the fireplace. The room smelled of wood smoke and cookies.
She looked up and smiled at him.
He loved coming home. On a night like this one it felt like going to heaven. The old house always needed work but they loved it, and this room was its very heart. Although it had been modernized several times, it remained hopelessly out of date. Decorated with a mixture of styles and periods, it looked a little ratty but it fit their family. Long ago, the raised fireplace had been used to prepare meals, but now it only supplied heat and comfort.
Theo sometimes told them stories about growing up in this house as a child, orphaned and living with her grandparents. She would gloss over the isolating, lonely years. The Silers had been good, kind and exceedingly old. They didn't believe in electricity. Using a kerosene lantern for light, Theo had done her homework at the scarred old table. She and her grandfather had baked cookies and bread in an old woodstove.
Theo wasn't crying. Tony could tell that she knew about Sheila, but her serene smile welcomed him home. She had come to terms with her fears. Relieved, he pulled off his hat and bent over to kiss her.
She shivered. “Your lips feel like ice, and I don't think that they are supposed to be that shade of blue.” Although she smiled as she touched his cheek, tears filled her eyes. “You are absolutely frozen. Have you eaten anything?”
In response, his stomach rumbled and he shook his head. Too tired to speak, he simply stood absorbing the heat from the fire and the peace of being home.
“Go take a hot shower and I'll heat some stew for you.” She climbed out of her cocoon and stretched. Under a short robe she wore pink flannel pajamas decorated with little white lambs. She looked cute as a bug. “You'd better leave those clothes here and I'll put them in the mud room.”
He unbuckled the heavy duty-belt and put it on the table. He added his badge and emptied his pockets. Numb fingers made unbuttoning his shirt difficult. Theo took pity on him and helped. Soon he was stripped to his shorts. As he headed into the bathroom, he silently thanked the former family member responsible for installing a bathroom down here. He wasn't sure that he would have had the strength to climb the stairs. They had recently fitted the old-fashioned claw foot tub with a shower nozzle and an oval, chrome shower curtain rod. Encased in the billowing, cream-colored shower curtain, he let the hot water pound over him until Theo came to tell him that the stew was hot. Bless her thoughtful heart, she had even brought him a sweatshirt, sweat pants and wool socks.
Halfway through the second bowl of stew, he started to feel warm again. “I suppose you want to know about Sheila?” Her nod gave him the answer he expected. Cocking an eyebrow at her, he grinned even though it felt like it would make his face crack. “Just for my information, how did you find out?”
“Prudence.” Theo answered.
“How in the—? Never mind. I think I can guess.” He stole the flannel lap quilt from Theo. “Tea leaves or Darren?”
“Darren, of course. She came to me because she is worried about marrying a cop.” Grabbing a corner of the quilt, she pulled but lost her grip.
“And did you break their engagement?” Once he had the whole quilt, he reached for her and dragged her onto his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Did you tell her scary stories and beg her to marry a farmer?”
Wide-eyed, she shook her head. “I told her the truth.”
“Which is?” Serious now, he waited for her answer. The firelight reflecting on her glasses hid their expression.
“Nobody's safe.” She smoothed the eyebrow over his left eye. “I told her that I would worry about you no matter how you earned a living.”
“What if I lived on welfare?” Some of the tension left him and he toyed with the curls in her hair, pulling them away from her face and releasing them, smiling when they bounced back like springs.
“Stop playing with my hair.” A devilish grin lit her face. “You could be sitting in front of the television, drinking a can of beer and eating nachos when a car crashes through the picture window and flattens you and the recliner.”
“Damned lucky then, I guess, that we don't have a picture window.” He sighed heavily and pasted a mournful expression on his face. “I suppose that was a fresh plate of nachos. Were they extra cheesy?”
“You bet. Lots of cheese and easy on the jalapenos so Daisy would be able to clean them up for you.” At her name, the golden retriever lifted her head momentarily and then went back to her nap, rolling onto her back.
“Now tell me what happened to Sheila.”
CH
APTER NINETEEN
* * *
“You've heard most of it,” said Tony. “At least the part where Nellie Pearl spied on Quentin, thinking he was burying things in the woods.”
Theo nodded.
“Sheila was patrolling near Nellie Pearl's when she thought she saw a man named Samson, but he was too far away to identify.” Theo shivered and he pulled the quilt up around her shoulders. “Samson is a suspect in Hub's death. She radioed in but followed him up the hill, away from Nellie Pearl's house.” He paused for a mouthful of hot chocolate. “Sheila worked her way up behind him and got close enough to watch when she saw Nellie Pearl unconscious on the ground. Samson was either putting something into or taking it out of a hole.”
He held Theo close and steadied his breathing.
“Samson saw her, pulled his gun and shot her, just like that. The impact of the bullet hitting her vest knocked her to the ground. You can't imagine how much that hurts. She blacked out.” Tony swallowed against the lump in his throat. “While she was down he destroyed her radio. She's damned lucky he didn't shoot her again.”
Murder by Serpents (Five Star First Edition Mystery) Page 16